DownloadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2024

The Dusty Bookcase

A Journey Through Canada's Forgotten, Neglected and Suppressed Writing

Brian Busby author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Biblioasis

Published:5th Oct '17

Currently unavailable, our supplier has not provided us a restock date

The Dusty Bookcase cover

Largely drawn from his columns for Canadian Notes & Queries and entries in his popular blog by the same name, Brian Busby's The Dusty Bookcase explores the fascinating world of Canada's lesser-known literary efforts: works that suffered censorship, critical neglect, or brilliant yet fleeting notoriety. These rare and quirky totems of Canadiana, collected over the last three decades, form a travel diary of sorts—yet one without maps. Covering more than 250 books, peppered with observations on the writing and publishing scenes, Busby's work explores our cultural past, questioning why certain works are celebrated and others ignored.

Brilliantly illustrated with covers and ephemera related to the titles discussed, The Dusty Bookcase draws much needed attention to unknown writing worthy of our attention, and some of our acclaim.

PRAISE FOR THE DUSTY BOOKCASE

“Even if you’re not interested in reading the books, The Dusty Bookcase’s tour through an alternate New Canadian Library is well worth reading for Busby’s insight and good humour. But if you’re the sort of person who spends time digging through used bookshop dollar bins looking for forgotten gems, this is an indispensable bibliography to the hits and misses of Canadian literature’s past.”National Post

“And so began a lifetime of scouring bargain bins, library book sales and obscure online auctions in search of the many forgotten gems of Canada's literary history, a never-ending search Busby first documented in columns and a blog and now in the entertaining book The Dusty Bookcase.”—Toronto Star

PRAISE FOR BRIAN BUSBY

“A thorough and thoroughly entertaining study of Canada’s foremost literary charlatan.”—Geist

“Exquisitely written, and endlessly interesting.”—George Elliott Clarke

ISBN: 9781771961684

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

368 pages